Having generated tentative patterns,
we sought to validate of these patterns.
With the initial pattern set we
examined the grouping and content of the patterns to validate:

that the defined patterns are more general than
the existing principles.

that others would organize principles in similar
clusters, both with and without the aid of the defined patterns.

The study involved three tests, described below. All of the tests were run on
twenty-nine (29) subjects.
The subjects were from a graduate class in interactive system design. The
experiment was run early in the course, before any discussion in the class of
patterns and generative user-engineering principles.
The subjects were part of one of
four sessions which lasted up to 90 minutes.